THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, August 4, 1857. 277 
Take a case in point. Mr. Duncan planted a great 
many Vines in this orchard house, and they succeeded 
most admirably; but lie saw the necessity of removing 
the whole of them, chiefly, I suppose, for three reasons. 
They required treatment different from the other plants ; 
they shaded injuriously the fruiting plants beneath them; 
and, though the fruit was fine, it would have required 
immediate consumption, as it would not keep any time 
in such a wide house without the drying effects of fire 
heat. Apply the same rule to Figs, Cherries, &c. 
If there had been no late vineries at Basing Park I 
have no doubt 1 should have found a large portion of 
the orchard house devoted to Vines exclusively, and 
some simple mode for drying the air in them in late 
autumn; but this was quite unnecessary, as there are 
vineries treated much, as respects the Vines, like an 
orchard house, that ripen their fruit with little or no 
assistance from fire heat, and only receive that help in 
the winter months for preserving the fruit from damping. 
Late Vineries used as Forcing Houses. —The fruit 
trees, chiefly of the stone kind, in pots, which I observed 
out of doors perfecting their w r ood after having ripened 
their crop, showed that both early and late vineries had 
been used in bringing them forward. Late vineries 
can easily be turned into a forcing house for this 
purpose by removing the Vines out of the house 
until their buds are breaking freely. I forget by wdiat 
particular mode Mr. Duncan accomplishes this; but 
one of the best I have seen practised is to have at such 
times double upright front sashes, and the Vines placed 
between them until you want to introduce them into 
the house. They w r ould be safe there; you could give 
them air as you liked, and introduce them after they 
had broken their buds naturally. It is said we have 
thrown cold water on growing Vines in pots. Well, we 
see no economy if you only thus obtain one crop in the 
year. By the above mode, where glass is scarce and 
fuel and labour abundant, you may ripen Grapes and 
other things in pots before you introduce the established 
Vines. Mr. Duncan, I believe, grows a great quantity 
of Strawberries in such late houses. In one of the 
hack sheds I found a number of strong right-angled 
triangles made of large poles, the sloping liypothenuse 
line being filled with brackets for the reception of 
shelves. Carry such triangles into the house, lay boards 
on the brackets, and you have a stage for Strawberries 
at once. They are just as easily removed when not 
needed. 
Having exceeded my usual limits I will finish these 
gossipings by two facts. 
First, the mode of stopping and summer pruning the 
Vine was quite in corroboration of a late article on that 
subject. It required no sage to see that an ample 
supply of good foliage was deemed necessary to a 
vigorous reciprocal root action. The Grapes in the first 
house were dead ripe; the next were swelling freely 
and showing every sign of colouring beautifully, though 
the bunches were in general large. I noticed that as 
the Grapes approached maturity the houses were cleared 
of all other plants in pots. 
New Grapes. —The second fact is, that I noticed a 
yellow amber-coloured Grape, something similar to what 
was pointed out to me as the White Hamburgh many 
years ago when dead ripe, but of which nobody seems 
to know anything now. Mr. Duncan has no name for 
it. Besides this yellow one, in a late house lie has six 
varieties of Grapes growing vigorously that as yet have 
not been proved identical witli existing varieties in 
common cultivation, though submitted to the best 
authorities. I have noticed some remarks on them in a 
contemporary periodical. Mr. Duncan obtained cut¬ 
tings of some from gardens where Grapes are no longer 
cultivated; of others he is in doubt how they came 
into his possession. He says all are desirable, but Nos. 1 
and 2 especially so. If the quality be in proportion to 
the huge size of the bunch and the vigour and short- 
jointedness of the young Vines there can be no ques¬ 
tion of their desirability. The lovers of novelty in this 
respect may be on the look out, for no doubt they will be 
heard of during the season. 
If in these random recollections I have fallen into 
any mistake I shall not regret if the readers should 
ultimately gain by it, for few could speak so authorita¬ 
tively on general gardening, and especially on every¬ 
thing connected with orchard houses and growing all 
kinds of fruit in pots, as our old friend the super¬ 
intendent at Basing Park. R. Fisii. 
EARLY-FORCED FRUITS SINKING TO A 
REST CONDITION. 
Most of The Cottage Gardener readers who 
cultivate in-door fruits must be aware that the Peach, 
and, indeed, other deciduous fruit trees begin to assume 
another guise when the fruit is ripe or gathered. The 
tree gradually loses its verdant character, the older 
foliage begins to show “the sere and yellow leaf,” and 
very frequently a later growth manifests itself, arguing, 
of course, considerable powers of absorption still at 
work, notwithstanding an apparent general decline—a 
phenomenon of annual occurrence. But, in the midst 
of all this approaching quietude in the vital forces, a 
practical observer will see, in the. turgid and bronzy 
foliage of the earlier developments, a desire yet to 
maintain its ground until some hidden process shall 
liave been carried out. Under such circumstances 
many persons are puzzled to find Vines, Peaches, &c., 
reproducing spray at the very period when the trees are 
evidently approaching a rest condition. I will here offer 
my opinions concerning this apparent anomaly. In the 
first place, granted that there is and lias been a strong root 
action, what can become of the ascending fluids after 
the earlier growths of the tree are supplied otherwise 
than a renewed attempt at growth? Fresh twigs have 
started; a demand still exists for the ascending fluid, 
which an energetic root is ready to meet; and the 
question arises whether it is proper to encourage such 
late spray. To remove it entirely would be to force 
the plant into a rest condition; to leave it at random 
would be to divert the solar light from the principal 
foliage, where it is so much needed. Most good 
gardeners hold with removing such portions of the 
spray as shade the principal leaves. In order to 
explain this subject fairly I will just examine the 
following heads, which would seem to comprise the 
whole subject:— 
Firstly, a forced rest; secondly, a natural rest; 
thirdly, rest as connected with the encouragement of the 
red spider or other insect enemies; fourthly, rest as 
connected with the future spring. 
A Forced Rest. —This is accomplished by strictly 
pruning away all late growths, and by shutting up an 
unusual amount of solar heat, sometimes over 90°. Its 
effect is to hurry the tree into a rest condition, and, as 
a consequence, to place it in a position for a somewhat 
earlier forcing in the ensuing year. But it is presumed 
that this is effected at the expense of a little power, and 
that retaining for a time a portion of the later growths 
increases the volume of new fibres in the border, as 
also the fund of alimentary matter in the tree. Never¬ 
theless, it may be readily supposed that in hot climates, 
where the Vine is indigenous, it hurries on to immediate 
rest in obedience to the climate, possibly its exit being 
hastened by a few pelting hail-storms. 
I come now to head the second, 
A Natural Rest. —Although I cannot flatter myself 
